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Councillor allowances ‘must be cut’
Liberal Democrat issues call for big reductions as payments soar 26 per cent in two years
CITY Hall has defended the size of councillors’ allowances after it emerged they have risen by 26 per cent in the past two years.
The total amount handed out to the borough’s 60 councillors rose from £704,836 in 2006/07 to £885,211 in 2008/09 – meaning they now receive an average of just under £15,000 each.
In the last three financial years, almost £2.5million has been spent on councillors’ allowances.
The revelation has led to calls for greater accountability and for councillors to publish a breakdown of how they spend their allowances.
Chairman of Westminster Liberal DemocratsMark Blackburn has called for “deep cuts” to allowance packages.
He said “There’s plenty of scope for deep cuts that save taxpayers’ money. I’m calling for all councillors’ allowances here in Westminster to be cut back to those, much lower, 2006 levels.
“Unlike many local council areas, Westminster is very compact. That means it is very easy and cheap to get around. Allowances for councillors here do not therefore need to be as high as they are.”
Currently, every councillor is legally entitled to a basic allowance of £10,250, but most qualify for a top-up under the “special responsibility” scheme. All councillors also get a £1,000 bonus when they are first elected and again when they are re-elected. This is intended to cover the cost of computer equipment.
At the top of the tree is council leader Colin Barrow who will collect £42,000 for special responsibilities as well as the basic allowance.
The council’s finance chief, Melvyn Caplan, said allowances were paid based on the recommendations of an independent cross-London panel.
He added: “For the period of 2005/06 and for many years prior to that, the allowance for Westminster councillors was set at a level well below the amount recommended.
“In recognition of the fact that Westminster was paying at that time significantly below the average London allowance, Westminster increased its allowances to be closer to the London average.” |
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